Travel
Air | Rail | Road | Find us
By Air
Toulouse
and Carcassonne are our nearest airports, both just over an
hours drive. Below is a summary of the flights out of the UK. Click on
the links to check
availability and prices.
Depart |
Arrive |
Airline |
Notes |
| Gatwick Bristol |
Toulouse | Easyjet | up to 3 per day from Gatwick |
| Stanstead Liverpool East Midlands Bournemouth Glasgow Dublin Cork |
Carcassonne |
Ryanair |
See website for details |
| Manchester East Midlands |
Toulouse | BMI Baby | May-September December-March |
| Birmingham | Toulouse | Flybe | May-September Saturdays only |
| Leeds Bradford Belfast Edinburgh Newcastle |
Toulouse | Jet2.com | May-September Weds & Sat only |
| Dublin | Toulouse | Aer Lingus | Mar-Oct Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat |
| Heathrow |
Toulouse |
BA |
upto 3 per day |
Other options, a bit further away include Pau, Beziers & Lourdes (Ryanair from Bristol & Stanstead) & Perpignan (lots of options)
For anyone arriving by air but wishing to save on the cost of car hire, a train from Toulouse is a viable option. The train journey takes just over an hour and costs around €12 each way. Trains from Carcassonne travel via Toulouse. This may appeal particularly to rock climbers and walkers, with plenty to do setting off from the house. Local daily car hire can be arranged for days out. See below for more info.By Rail
The train journey from central London can be less than 8 hours, the overnight sleeper is also a good option. Sadly the cost cannot compete with the budget airlines, but in terms of low environmental impact and seeing a bit of the country the train wins hands down. We can arrange pick up and drop off from either Foix or Tarascon-sur-Ariège stations.
To plan the journey it is best to divide it into two sections:1. UK to Toulouse.
Firstly you will need to get to a Eurostar station (London St Pancras, Ebbsfleet or Ashford). Take the Eurostar to either Paris or Lille and the TGV or standard train to Toulouse. The TGV is the best option making the journey time from London less than 6 hours to Toulouse.
2. Toulouse to Tarascon-sur-Ariege. (see the links page for lots of useful links including pdf train timetables)
There are around 7 trains per day from Toulouse to Tarascon-sur-Ariege with journey time of around 1hr 20 minutes. Watch out for trains that only run on certain days. There are also connections between trains and busses (CAR) possible at Pamiers or trains that terminate at Foix to give additional options. A single journey costs around 12 € and tickets can be purchased at the station in Toulouse or onboard.
Plane & Train
To get here without the need for a hire car it's best to fly in to Toulouse. Shuttle busses run from the airport to Toulouse Matabiau station every 20 minutes throughout the day and cost 5 €. Tickets can be purchased from the office at the main entrance or onboard. The shuttle time is up to 30 minutes so allow 1 hr + disembarking and luggage collection to get to the station. If you are cutting it fine a Taxi is always an option. We'd be happy to arrange collection and drop off from Foix or Tarascon-sur-Ariege stations. See stage 2 above for Trains from Toulouse.
Click on the map to printBy Road
The drive from one of the Northern ports is around 10-12 hours and there are numerous excellent value options for overnight stops en route. Tolls are charged on some of the main routes which can be avoided by using the slower roads.
Finding us
Approaching from the North follow the N20 through the Foix bypass tunnel towards Tarascon-sur-Ariege. At the Tarascon roundabout at the end of the dual carriageway take the first exit towards 'Saurat' & 'Col du Port'. After 4 km enter the village of Bedeilhac and turn sharp left onto 'Rue Caichalotte' opposite the 'Auberge de la grotte'. At the church turn left onto 'Col Dijou' and we are first on the right.
GPS Coordinates:Lat: 42.87200°
Long: 1.56359°
Click here for Base Calames on
Google
maps
Click here to print a plan of our location